Chapter 182: The Second-Year Special Delivery

"What do you mean by the second stage of training? And what other favour do you want me to do for you? I think I’ve already done more than enough!" the Principal complained.

"I can see why you’d think that," Miss Stella replied calmly. "But what I want you to do isn’t particularly bothersome. I want you to teleport Kael to the second-year dormitory every morning at six. Without fail."

The Principal’s expression changed.

"Are you sure he’ll survive if he collides with his seniors?" he asked, this time sounding genuinely concerned about Kael’s safety.

"Well, since Kael has been stalling in his training, I believe this would be a faster way to accelerate his growth," Stella replied without the slightest hesitation.

Kael would be fighting second-year students? That sounds even worse than what I’m doing, Lilian thought, wondering whether Stella had finally decided to kill Kael through unconventional means.

"Oh, and one more thing," Stella added casually. "He should be teleported directly to the second-year Class A dormitory."

The Principal raised an eyebrow.

"Now, that boy might actually die. If they think he’s deliberately targeting them, they’ll probably beat him to death before he gets the chance to explain himself."

He shook his head and turned towards the exit of the gravity room.

"Fine. I’ll help you with this one last favour," he muttered as he walked away, already wondering whether he should prepare a memorial service in advance.

Kael and Charlotte had walked a considerable distance away from the Student Council building when they spotted a familiar figure up ahead.

"Wait a minute. Is that Felix?" Kael muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Felix appeared to be heading towards a grocery store, completely unaware that his peaceful afternoon was about to take a disastrous turn.

"Wait a minute. Don’t tell me you’re actually going to attack him," Charlotte muttered, looking at Kael suspiciously.

Unfortunately, Kael was already on the move.

"Do you want to get summoned by the Student Council again?" Charlotte asked, her eyes widening as she watched him dash towards the grocery store.

Kael didn’t bother answering.

He was too busy chasing his prey.

Felix, meanwhile, was in an excellent mood.

He had managed to escape the Student Council without running into Kael, and he intended to make the most of that small victory.

That guy will probably head straight back to his dorm after the trial. He’s far too lazy to do anything else, Felix thought, glancing up at the sky.

However, his expression soon became thoughtful.

Maybe I need to train harder. That loser has already surpassed me, just like my younger brother. Do I really have to keep relying on a technique that someone else copied at a glance?

He sighed.

Turning towards the grocery store, Felix resumed walking.

"Looks like I’m running low on provisions. I might as well stock up while I can. I did earn some rewards from my previous dungeon raid, after all."

He pushed open the store’s entrance.

"I wonder why the top five haven’t raided any dungeons yet, though. Apart from Kael, of course. That guy is just lazy."

Felix shook his head and stepped inside.

Then—

"FFFEELLLLIIIIXXX!!!"

The ear-splitting scream nearly made him jump out of his skin.

Felix slowly turned towards the entrance.

"Oh, speak of the devil," he muttered instinctively.

Then he saw who was running towards him.

His eyes widened.

"SPEAK OF THE DEVIL?!"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A DEVIL?!"

"WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING AT ME?!"

"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM ME?!"

"BECAUSE YOU’RE CHASING ME!"

Felix immediately channelled mana into his legs, boosting his speed as he fled.

Why does this always happen to me?! What have I even done today?!

He had only wanted to buy groceries!

Was that too much to ask?

Unfortunately, his luck had apparently decided that even buying food was a privilege he no longer deserved.

As Felix rounded a corner, he suddenly collided with someone.

BANG!

The impact sent him crashing to the ground.

At the same time, the flames radiating from his mana brushed against the unfortunate individual’s clothes, leaving several patches of fabric scorched.

"Oww," Felix groaned, rubbing his nose.

He looked up and immediately froze.

Judging by the uniform and the design of the badge attached to it, the person standing before him was a second-year student.

And judging by his expression, Felix was in trouble.

"All you first-years really have no respect," the second-year student growled.

He happened to be a Beast Kin, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he inspected his scorched clothes.

"First, you’re granted permission to assault us in the morning, and now another one of you casually ruins my uniform?"

Felix hurriedly scrambled backwards.

"Sorry! It was a mistake! I was being chased!"

The Beast Kin’s expression darkened further.

"Oh? So you think being chased gives you the right to crash into me and ruin my clothes?"

"No, that’s not what I—"

"Then I’ll teach you some manners!"

The Beast Kin stepped forward, clearly intending to teach Felix a lesson.

"Wait! You don’t need to attack me! I’m still being chased! That guy is completely crazy, and I really don’t want to get caught by him!"

Unfortunately, the Beast Kin wasn’t listening.

As far as he was concerned, a first-year had insulted him, damaged his clothes, and was now making excuses.

He was going to make sure the boy regretted it.

Then a familiar scream rang out from somewhere behind them.

"THERE YOU ARE, PREY! I HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO SHOW YOU! AND I NEED TO THANK YOU FOR REPORTING ME TO THE STUDENT COUNCIL!"

Felix’s face went pale.

He’s still chasing me?!

Kael finally came into view, running towards them at full speed.

Charlotte was right beside him, although she looked considerably less enthusiastic about the entire situation.

She pressed a hand against her ear.

"Kael, I think he can hear you just fine! You don’t need to scream every time you open your mouth!"

At some point during the chase, Kael had apparently begun using mana to amplify his voice.

Charlotte was beginning to regret every decision that had led her to accompany him today.

Unfortunately, the situation was about to become even worse.

Another figure suddenly appeared behind them.

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU SPITEFUL TALL BEING!"

Kael’s expression stiffened.

"WE HAD A DEAL, AND NOW YOU’RE RUNNING AWAY?! HOW COWARDLY! WHY ARE ALL YOU TALL BEINGS LIKE THIS?!"

Hulk had popped out of no where chasing after them.

Kael stared at him in confusion for a moment before remembering their previous agreement.

He had promised Hulk that they would find a bad tall being for him to fight.

Damn it. I originally wanted Hulk to join my party, Kael thought with a sigh.

Unfortunately, he had been so busy dealing with the Student Council and chasing Felix that he had completely forgotten about their arrangement.

Now Hulk had come looking for him.

And he was clearly not in the mood to accept any more excuses.

Kael’s gaze shifted towards Felix, who was currently being confronted by the second-year Beast Kin.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

The Beast Kin was quite tall, easily towering over the first-years, and he looked more than ready to start a fight.

An idea immediately formed in Kael’s mind.

"HULK! THERE YOU ARE! I THOUGHT YOU ALREADY KNEW WHERE OUR FIGHT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE!"

Hulk stopped in his tracks.

He blinked.

"Wait. There’s actually someone for us to fight?"

His confusion lasted only a moment before a human-sized mallet materialised in his hand.

"WHO IS THE TALL INDIVIDUAL WE’RE FIGHTING?"

Kael immediately pointed towards the Beast Kin.

"THAT BEAST KIN OVER THERE HAS BEEN TERRORISING US FIRST-YEARS IN CLASS A! HE KEEPS CALLING US SHORT JUST BECAUSE HE’S TALLER THAN US!"

Kael’s expression became solemn, as though he were delivering an impassioned speech about a grave injustice.

"THAT’S WHY I NEEDED YOUR STRENGTH, HULK! TOGETHER, WE CAN PUT AN END TO THIS TERRORISM!"

For a moment, the entire scene fell silent.

The second-year Beast Kin, who had been preparing to beat Felix into the ground, froze.

What the hell is going on?

He stared at Kael, then at Hulk, then back at Kael.

I’ve never seen these people in my entire life!

He hadn’t even spoken to them before!

When had he started terrorising first-years?

And since when had calling someone short become a crime worthy of this kind of punishment?

Before he could make sense of the situation, Felix seized his opportunity.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?! I SAID I WAS BEING CHASED!"

Felix struggled against the Beast Kin’s grip.

"THAT GUY IS CRAZY! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO!"

The Beast Kin opened his mouth to respond.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance.

BAM!

A mallet smashed directly into the side of his face.

The second-year went flying across the room, crashing into a display of grocery supplies.

Hulk charged after him without the slightest hesitation.

"I HATE TALL, ARROGANT BASTARDS!" he roared. "ESPECIALLY BEAST KINS WHO THINK THEY’RE STRONGER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!"

He swung his mallet again.

The confused second-year barely had time to raise his arms before Hulk continued his merciless assault.

Felix stared at the scene in disbelief.

What the hell did I just witness?

He slowly turned towards Kael.

Unfortunately, Kael had already arrived beside him.

The demonically grinning bastard grabbed Felix by the hem of his clothes.

"WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU?! PLEASE, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Felix immediately pleaded, his voice practically breaking.

Kael blinked.

"What do you mean by tha—"

THWACK!

A sharp kick struck the back of Kael’s knee.

"Owww!"

Kael stumbled slightly before turning around.

"What was that for?!"

Charlotte stood behind him, her expression dark.

"Are you crazy?! You just started a fight! End it quickly, or I swear I won’t bother stopping you the next time!"

She paused, her eyes narrowing.

"And next time, I might actually use my lance."

Kael stared at her as though she had just said something completely unreasonable.

"What do you mean? As members of the Disciplinary Committee, we’re supposed to stop conflicts when they happen."

He gestured towards Hulk, who was still busy beating the second-year.

"So, this time, we’re stopping the conflict before it even happens!"

Kael smiled contentedly, evidently pleased with his own reasoning.

Charlotte stared at him.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

She was beginning to wonder whether the Principal had accidentally damaged Kael’s brain during his training.

"Anyway, I understand what you’re saying now," Kael continued, nodding to himself.

"Hulk is a member of the Disciplinary Committee, so I should be the one to deal with the person who instigated this conflict!"

Before Charlotte could correct him, Kael turned towards Felix.

"You stay here. I need to collect your report on this incident."

He pointed at Charlotte.

"Charlotte, look after him."

Then, without waiting for either of them to respond, Kael ran towards the ongoing fight.

Charlotte’s mouth twitched.

"THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

Unfortunately, Kael was already gone.

She watched him disappear into the chaos before releasing a tired sigh.

"Well, whatever. It’s not like he’d actually listen to me anyway."

She turned back towards Felix.

The moment their eyes met, Felix tried to run.

Charlotte’s expression remained unchanged.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Felix froze.

"I’m leaving."

"Why?"

"Because I value my life?"

Charlotte stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"Why are you even bothering to run? Kael already knows where your room is. If you escape now, he’ll probably just break into it later."

She folded her arms.

"It’s better to wait here. Besides, I doubt Kael actually wants to fight you."

Felix hesitated.

He glanced towards the ongoing battle, where Hulk was still enthusiastically demonstrating why nobody should ever make him angry.

Then he looked at Charlotte.

After weighing his options, Felix slowly sat down on the ground.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

Felix turned his face away from her, looking thoroughly miserable.

"It’s not like you’d understand where I’m coming from anyway," he muttered. "You’re one of his girls."

Charlotte’s head slowly turned towards him.

Her purple eyes settled on Felix’s face.

For some reason, he suddenly looked incredibly punchable.

I think I understand why Kael wants to beat him up, Charlotte thought.

"What exactly do you mean by ’one of his girls’?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.

She took a step towards him.

"It sounds like you want me to beat you up. Perhaps I should challenge you to a duel again."

Felix immediately turned back towards her.

"Come on! I’m already ranked lower than you, so I can refuse your challenge! Besides, as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, you can’t just assault another student for no reason!"

He delivered the words with such casual confidence that Charlotte almost admired his audacity.

Almost.

She smiled.

It was not a reassuring smile.

"I think you’re forgetting the person on the other side of us."

Felix’s expression stiffened.

Charlotte gestured towards the ongoing fight.

"I could beat the shit out of you right now, and everyone would assume Kael was responsible."

She took another step closer.

"And if you tried to convince them otherwise, they’d probably think you were just covering for him."

Sparks of lightning began to crackle around her body.

"So, Felix..."

Her purple eyes glowed eerily.

"Would you like to repeat what you said earlier?"

Felix stared at her.

Then he slowly looked towards Kael, who was now somehow involved in the fight despite having originally claimed that he was there to prevent one.

He looked back at Charlotte.

Then at Hulk.

Then at the second-year Beast Kin, who was probably beginning to regret every decision that had led him to enter the grocery store today.

Finally, Felix lowered his head.

Is everyone around Kael Draven completely insane?

For the first time that afternoon, Felix genuinely wondered whether the problem wasn’t his bad luck.

Perhaps the entire world had simply decided to torment him.